DIFFICULTIES ON THE PATHWAY TO ESTABLISHING AN ANALYTIC PROCESS - ON SOME VICISSITUDES OF SELF-REFLECTION DURING THE OPENING PHASE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS

The beginning of a psychoanalysis attempts to establish those aspects of the treatment that define the situation and process as uniquely psy choanalytic. From a classical perspective this entails the creation of a particular therapeutic ambience that encourages the patient to expa nd his or her capacity for self-reflection on the transference experie nce. In the present article, the author considers 3 major types of pat ients for whom the potential for establishing such a situation and pro cess is compromised by various characterological difficulties, Clinica l material is used to illustrate the particular way the analytic proce ss is impeded in each of these types, and an attempt is made to system atically relate their difficulties to specific anxieties each experien ces in reflecting on transference experience.